Parking fine appeal

By Elaine Glusac The New York Times Fri., March 2, 2018 Ever since the early 1960s, when Walt Disney chose Central Florida as the location for his most extensive theme park, Walt Disney World, Orlando has been synonymous with mouse ears, thrill rides and daily parades. But most locals readily divulge that fantasy fulfilment has little to do with the real life of urban Orlando. From the downtown region heading north to well-to-do Winter Park, the city is a checkerboard of intriguing neighbourhoods filled with historic bungalows, interesting galleries and cafés catering to the creative class. Nature is also a central attraction in the lake-filled city and suburbs that include warm springs preserves and parks with live oak stands. The glass-walled Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, opened in 2014, has given downtown a cultural bump, and homegrown endeavours include a new orchestra devoted to modern classics and unstarched performances. FRIDAY 3 p.m., … [Read more...] about Discover in 36 hours that there’s more to Orlando than Mickey Mouse and theme park rides

In this Oct 10, 2017 file photo, former South Korean President Park Geun-hye (left) arrives to attend a hearing on the extension of her detention at the Seoul Central District Court. (AP photo) SEOUL, South Korea: Prosecutors on Tuesday demanded a 30-year prison term for former South Korean President Park Geun-hye for alleged bribery, abuse of power and other crimes in a landmark corruption case that marked a stunning fall from grace for the country's first female leader and conservative icon. In the final trial session before a verdict is issued, prosecutors also demanded a fine of 118.5 billion won ($110 million) and said Ms Park has shown no remorse for "disrupting constitutional order and damaging the public's trust in state power''. Ms Park did not attend the session at the Seoul Central District Court, which will issue its verdict on April 6 -- 11 months after the trial began. "The defendant thoroughly destroyed the dreams and hope of people -- this incident left a … [Read more...] about Prosecutors: Park deserves 30 years in jail

“Where do we eat? #Saantayokakain?” It is amusing how a very innocent question has evolved into one that is most difficult to answer, especially when it is directed at a big group of people. Given the Filipinos’ love affair with food, it is no wonder that food entrepreneurs have offered us a wide variety of taste-bud-pleasing and tummy-filling choices. From fast food to fine dining; from kiosks to bazaars; from deliveries to eat-all-you-can buffets—there is always a most appropriate format for every occasion, in any place, at any time! Building on the ever-growing food categories, one format is what people may classify as #trending, especially in metropolitan areas: food parks. In my personal experience, food parks have been sprouting left and right in Quezon City, specifically on Maginhawa and Congressional Avenue Extension. Even industry experts have noted the impact of the food park trend. In a Euromonitor category briefing released on May 10, entitled … [Read more...] about Food for the buds: A glance at the food park business trend in the metro

Illegally parked vehicles along Manila’s secondary and barangay roads are now the targets of a renewed anti-illegal parking operation ordered by Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada. On Thursday, Estrada said it is high time the city government “levels up” its anti-illegal parking campaign by going after irresponsible vehicle owners that leave their cars and trucks in the streets. “To show them that we are dead serious, we will tow away vehicles parked along the streets, especially along secondary roads that serve as alternate routes,” the mayor warned. Estrada lamented that despite repeated appeals by the government to vehicle owners to have their own garages, many still indiscriminately park on the streets, mostly in front of their houses, taking valuable road space. “We’ve never learned. Many car owners remain stubborn, uncooperative. But now they will see,” he warned, as he expressed support to the “no car, no garage” … [Read more...] about Erap: Cars parked on Manila’s streets will be towed

(First of two parts) Most Filipinos associate Taiwan with sprawling skyscrapers (such as Taipei 101, the world’s tallest building until 2010), industrial parks, mammoth factories, electronic goods and computers. That’s quite understandable given Taiwan’s reputation as an economic powerhouse in Asia – and a prime destination for our country’s migrant workers. However, once you’ve set foot in this 36 square kilometer island (about the size of the Netherlands), you realize that Taiwan (officially known as the Republic of China) is much more than what many of our countrymen perceive it to be. Its thriving and vibrant cultural scene, efficient transportation system, cheap eats, diverse shopping options and a host of other attractions make this tiny island a veritable tourist paradise for globe-trotting Filipinos. That’s what I discovered during a recent cultural and heritage tour of Taiwan with a group of international journalists from Canada, … [Read more...] about Taiwan: A small island with a big appeal

In late 2015, Stanford student Joshua Browder created a chatbot, called DoNotPay, that helps users appeal parking tickets for free in the UK. Browder, then 19 years old, described it to Business Insider as one of the world’s first robot lawyers. It overturned over $3 million in parking fines in a matter of a few months. Realizing the bot could have multiple applications, Browder later programmed it to assist travelers in claiming compensation for delayed flights and to help the homeless apply for government housing in the UK. Now, using Facebook Messenger, the bot can also help refugees fill out immigration applications in the US, UK, and Canada, according to The Guardian. Once users sign into Facebook through DoNotPay’s site, a chat screen pops up. To learn about a case and determine the correct application, the bot asks questions like, “What other names have you used?” and “Have you, your family, or colleagues ever … [Read more...] about A 19-year-old made a free robot lawyer that helps refugees claim asylum

While some destinations have remained well-known luxury destinations for years, others are just now emerging as travel spots attractive enough to add to your bucket list. Robb Report, which specializes in publishing content for ultra-affluent consumers, recently released a list of the top 21 luxury destinations to visit this year. To put the list together, they worked with their base of writers to determine which destinations would be most interesting to high-net-worth travelers, based on each location’s concentration of luxury hotels and unique experiences.While some picks include those that have been on the radar of the wealthy for years, like Fiji, others are hidden gems that are starting to gain attention, like the Cape Winelands. As you prepare to plan your trips for the year, here are 21 places to consider adding to the mix. 21. Chengdu, China As the capital of China’s Sichuan Province, Chengdu is rising as one of the country’s most … [Read more...] about 21 incredible luxury destinations you should visit in 2016

Microsoft knocked it out of the park at today’s Windows 10 hardware event. Microsoft took its big chance to show off a lot of the cool stuff it’s been working on, including a new Surface Pro 4 tablet/laptop hybrid, the Surface Book laptop, a pair of powerful new Lumia smartphones, and an updated Microsoft Band fitness tracker. The tech giant even shared some updates on stuff we already knew about, including a brand-new HoloLens demo (and word that the development kit will cost $3,000) and Windows Continuum, which lets you use your phone as a PC, by way of an external adapter. All of that stuff runs on Windows 10, or integrates deeply with it. Everything announced today was to promote Windows 10 in one way or another. Which is fine, because after years of pushing the much-maligned Windows 8 and looking like dorks, Microsoft made Windows 10 look really good. Microsoft is pitching a vision for an easier life, technologically speaking. Take a … [Read more...] about Microsoft is cool again — here’s why that matters

Business Insider recently released its list of the most powerful people in the world, and 10 of the top 50 included hedge fund managers, bank CEOs, and other magnates in the finance industry. To determine the ranking, we considered more than 100 of the most influential players in business, politics, and entertainment and evaluated their influence using metrics in four major areas: economic power, command, newsworthiness, and impact – a subjective measure that captures how important they are in their respective spheres. We then narrowed down the list to just those in the finance industry, adding six finance heavyweights who narrowly missed our top 50. You can read the full methodology here. Read on to see the 16 most powerful people in finance in the world. Editing by Alex Morrell with additional research by Andy Kiersz. 16. George Soros Title: Chairman, Soros Fund Management and Open Society Foundations Country: US Age: 85 Born in Budapest, George … [Read more...] about The 16 most powerful people in finance

SAN FRANCISCO—Boston’s Ryan Dempster accepted his punishment without admitting any misdeed. The Canadian pitcher was suspended for five games and fined by Major League Baseball on Tuesday for intentionally hitting New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez with a pitch last weekend. While Dempster still maintains he was only trying to establish the inside part of the plate and wasn’t trying to hit Rodriguez on purpose, he will not contest the punishment and began serving it Tuesday. “I thought about appealing,” the Gibsons, B.C., native said before Boston played the Giants. “At the end of the day, I think Major League Baseball does a really good job of thinking through punishments before they hand them out. I thought it was in the best interest of us as a team to go ahead and serve my suspension.” MLB senior vice-president Joe Garagiola Jr. announced the penalty two days after Dempster hit A-Rod in the second inning at Fenway Park. Yankees manager … [Read more...] about Alex Rodriguez: MLB suspends Ryan Dempster for five games for hitting A-Rod